Minor League Baseball

Detroit Tigers Receive Demoralizing News About Their 2024 First Round Draft Pick

A shoulder injury, and subsequent surgery, are ending the season of Single-A Lakeland's Bryce Rainer.
Jami Leabow|
The Detroit Tigers draft Bryce Rainer with the eleventh pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 14, 2024.
The Detroit Tigers draft Bryce Rainer with the eleventh pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 14, 2024. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Detroit Tigers

Bryce Rainer, a top prospect for the Detroit Tigers, needs shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News posted the injury report late Friday afternoon about Rainer, taken by the Tigers with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

“SS Bryce Rainer dislocated his right shoulder diving back to first base during a game on Tuesday. He received multiple opinions and has elected to undergo season-ending surgery. He is expected to be a full participant next spring,” McCosky wrote.

Rainer is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 45 overall prospect in baseball and No. 3 among Tigers’ prospects.

Just 19, Rainer has spent the season with the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers. It is the first pro experience for Rainer since he was selected out of Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, whose alums include Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, and pitchers Jack Flaherty, Max Fried and Lucas Giolito.

At Lakeland, he has played in 35 games, hitting .288 (36-for-125) with five homers, 22 RBIs and an .831 OPS.

He had found the rhythm at Lakeland just prior to the injury. In his most recent 10 games, Rainer hit .359 (14-for-39) with two homers, eight RBIs and 21 total bases.

In that stretch, he had four multi-hit games, including a pair of three-hit performances.

In high school, Rainer also was a pitcher with a fastball capable of touching the mid-90s. But he decided to turn his focus to the infield in the pros, according to MLB Pipeline, which said this:

“Rainer expressed a desire to hit and backed that up by improving in most facets as an offensive player, showing off better power and speed at a loaded National High School Invitational. He climbed up Draft boards as a result and went to the Tigers as the 11th overall pick with a $5.8 million bonus.”

The Tigers undoubtedly will be watching and working with this top prospect as he recovers from surgery.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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